The Six Points of Civilization
The Six Points of Civilization (often referred to as the Six Points or just the Six) are the six major port towns that exist in the world after the Ending War. The ports referred to are Rothlessport, Bridgeport, Monksport, Cloverport, Osport, and Yoveport. It is also the collective name used to describe the government and standing trade agreement after the resolution of the Ending War left the other major ports in ruins. World Government The model of government established by the Six is one very much rooted in the trade agreement that they decided upon, in that it is one more concerned with commerce and mercantilism than with the people who make up the world citizenry. That being said, to meet the ultimate end of developing a strong economy, the Six have allotted its citizens two primary freedoms: the freedom of citizenship, and the freedom of travel, The Freedom of Citizenship Any person of any race who was born in one of the Six Points or a currently occupied territory is considered to be a Liberated Citizen (LC) of the Six Points of Civilization. This means that they are allowed to work and own property in any town or territory owned by the Six, and are required to follow any and all laws passed by the Six. Even if born in an isolated area, any person who makes contact with any of the Six Points will be considered a Liberated Citizen if the proper citizenship tests are completed. The Freedom of Travel Although each of the Six retains an individual character and identity, for the purposes of travel they are all considered to be one "nation." As a result of that, Liberated Citizens are able to travel freely between any of the Six (as well as any occupied territories). Whereas before one would need to pass through customs offices and need to endure international changes to travel policy, Liberated Citizens face no such troubles. They need only secure space on a ship and can be off. Representation Every five years since the founding of the Six Points World Government, each of the Six Points appoints a single individual to act as its representative. Together, these six appointed representatives act as the governing bodies of the Six Points, and decide on all legislature and privileges that the citizens of the Six Points experience. As a body, these people are also known as the Six Points, as they represent the needs and interests of each of the six main port towns. As of 53 PW, the current Six Points are Correlon Morninglight (Human, Bridgeport), Som of Tarn (Elf, Monksport), Ripper Thegreat (Human, Cloverport), Fabutingraymo (Troll, Osport), Ake Stormingsson (Human, Yoveport), and Jon Tanner (Human, Rothlessport). Trade Agreement When resources were plentiful, shipping companies were competitive, and politics were prolific, many countries actively avoided trade with one another. Now that none of that is the case, the Six need to cooperate in order to grow and thrive. Because of this, the Six have agreed to a standardization of goods prices. Currency Blue Shilling Price standardization across the Six is only possible due to the development of a common currency used throughout the Six and its occupied territories: the Blue Shilling (also called Blues or Shillings). Made of a mixture of silver and several common metals that give the coin a blue tint, the Blue Shilling is the reference used when pricing most common goods. Its dimensions are 1.205 inches in diameter and .085 inches in width, and each coin weighs roughly .5 ounces. Although the Blue Shilling is used as the basis for pricing goods, it is not the only coin used in the Six. There are both a smaller denomination coin and a larger denomination coin, the Red Shilling and the Green Shilling, respectively. Red Shilling Red Shillings (also called Reds) are the commonly used coins that represent a fractional value of a Blue Shilling. Specifically, each Red represents one-one hundredth of a Blue. In other words, 100 Reds have the same value as 1 Blue. Due to the relative poverty within which most citizens of the Six live, the prices of many common goods use the Red Shilling over the Blue Shilling in order to be affordable. This is aided by Reds being made of incredibly cheap metals that, when smelted, produce the slight red coloration that characterizes the Red Shilling. A Red's dimensions are .6 inches in diameter and .055 inches in width. Green Shilling The Green Shilling (commonly Green) is unique among the other coins, in that it was made for convenience instead of necessity. Because of the relative large size of the Blue Shilling, paying for commodities that cost several Shillings can be inconvenient. To assuage this problem, the Six Points have minted a smaller coin than the Blue Shilling that represents a higher denomination. The Green Shilling is .85 inches in diameter and .07 inches in thickness, is made with a mixture of fairly cheep metals and pyrite, and is worth 5 Blue Shillings. Unlike Reds and Blues, prices of goods and commodities are not listed in terms of Green Shillings. This is primarily due to the scarcity of products whose prices are worth more than one Blue Shilling. Instead, they are only used as an interchangeable currency when paying. Other Forms of Currency Although the Shillings are the standard form of currency throughout the Six Points of Civilization, it is not uncommon that more rural areas within the Six use an older barter-like system for trade. It is also rumored that several Exploration Houses do not recognize the value of the Shilling, and refuse to accept them as payment for their services. There are also occasions where exorbitantly high sums of money must exchange hands (such as when the idle rich seek to purchase incredibly expensive goods). For such purchases, it is rare that the buyer will have the requisite amount of Shillings on their person. In order to complete the transaction, the buyer must obtain a Guaranteed Bank Note (GBN) from a national bank (assuming they have money saved in one) that guarantees the buyer has sufficient funds. Once the transaction is completed, the bank will take care to make sure that money is transported to either the seller or the seller's bank account. Geography According to maps of the world that survived the Ending War, the territories occupied by the Six Points of Civilization make up roughly 8% of the world. Additionally, according to those older records, there are at least four different landmasses that are completely uninfluenced by the Six Points. It is unknown as of now if the world government has any plans to colonize those land masses. Of the landmasses that do have Six Points influences, no regions farther than 25 miles of the ports have been colonized. According to individuals who live on the outer rings of each of the Six Points, the landscape changes drastically into a singed wasteland which lasts for roughly 30 miles, and then changes again into either lush forest, deep valley, or craggy mountain. Various Exploration Houses that have ventured out to these regions have confirmed these claims, and are working on verifying and updating the maps from the pre-war era.